Priests: JUST SAY NO!
Priests: JUST SAY NO!
by Kevin Mahoney
The Vatican Council was a-buzz on Thursday, with the news of an African archbishop who was married. Pope Benedict XVI and the rest of the council came to the decision that the archbishop should be excommunicated from the Catholic Church. The meeting did not change any of the Catholic Church’s rules on celibacy, but rather reinforced it. The idea of a married priest, although unseemly to some, is in fact, not extremely uncommon. There are estimated to be at least 100,000 married priests world wide and over 25,000 in the United States. While the Vatican Council strongly feels that the rules on celibacy should remain the same, there are other figures in the Catholic Church who feel a change is in order. “Proponents of easing the celibacy requirement for priests in the Latin rite church say such a move could help ease the shortage of clergy in many parts of the world.” (1).
It is ironic how the Catholic Church in some ways has become more conservative than liberal throughout the last twenty centuries. With the birth of the Catholic Church in the first century, many of the first apostles and priests were married men. Even Peter, the first Pope was married. As the Catholic Church grew as time progressed, the rules on priests’ marital life became stricter. The fourth century became the official turning point for the Catholic Church’s views on married leaders. At The Council of Elvira in 306, the council decided that a priest who sleeps with his wife the night before a mass shall be excommunicated. At the Council of Nicea in 325, a decision was made that after a priest was ordained, he could no longer marry. Throughout the centuries, the rules on marriage in the church became increasingly stringent until the option of a leader in the Church marrying became non-existent. With this decision, some priests accepted the views on celibacy, while other priests rebelled. Pope Boniface IX, resigned in order to marry, as did many other priests, archbishops, etc. While some men decided to leave the Church, others found that they could become accomidated to it's policy.
The Catohlic Church has gone through many stages and changes throughout the ages, but the proposal of our leaders also being husbands and family men, does not appear to be anywhere on the horizon.
(1) http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/16/world/16cnd-pope.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
(2) http://www.futurechurch.org/fpm/history.htm
by Kevin Mahoney
The Vatican Council was a-buzz on Thursday, with the news of an African archbishop who was married. Pope Benedict XVI and the rest of the council came to the decision that the archbishop should be excommunicated from the Catholic Church. The meeting did not change any of the Catholic Church’s rules on celibacy, but rather reinforced it. The idea of a married priest, although unseemly to some, is in fact, not extremely uncommon. There are estimated to be at least 100,000 married priests world wide and over 25,000 in the United States. While the Vatican Council strongly feels that the rules on celibacy should remain the same, there are other figures in the Catholic Church who feel a change is in order. “Proponents of easing the celibacy requirement for priests in the Latin rite church say such a move could help ease the shortage of clergy in many parts of the world.” (1).
It is ironic how the Catholic Church in some ways has become more conservative than liberal throughout the last twenty centuries. With the birth of the Catholic Church in the first century, many of the first apostles and priests were married men. Even Peter, the first Pope was married. As the Catholic Church grew as time progressed, the rules on priests’ marital life became stricter. The fourth century became the official turning point for the Catholic Church’s views on married leaders. At The Council of Elvira in 306, the council decided that a priest who sleeps with his wife the night before a mass shall be excommunicated. At the Council of Nicea in 325, a decision was made that after a priest was ordained, he could no longer marry. Throughout the centuries, the rules on marriage in the church became increasingly stringent until the option of a leader in the Church marrying became non-existent. With this decision, some priests accepted the views on celibacy, while other priests rebelled. Pope Boniface IX, resigned in order to marry, as did many other priests, archbishops, etc. While some men decided to leave the Church, others found that they could become accomidated to it's policy.
The Catohlic Church has gone through many stages and changes throughout the ages, but the proposal of our leaders also being husbands and family men, does not appear to be anywhere on the horizon.
(1) http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/16/world/16cnd-pope.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
(2) http://www.futurechurch.org/fpm/history.htm
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